Category: Guest Columnists

  • Solutions & Substitutions by Reena: Doors and Tea Bags

      By Reena Nerbas Paint for Front Door Dear Reena, I am in need of repainting my exterior front door. Before painting, I must choose paint but I don’t know if the paint currently on the door is latex or oil. Do you know how I can figure that out? Aron Dear Aron, Using a…

  • A Brief Conservative History

    A Brief Conservative History

      By E.P. Whinters Sometimes, in the quest to find your answer, it is good to look back on the roots and beginning of what we have now. If a party gives themselves a name, it is likely that their stand today is influenced by the traits they hold in common with their political ancestors.…

  • Solutions & Substitutions by Reena: Packing Breakables

    Solutions & Substitutions by Reena: Packing Breakables

      By Reena Nerbas Scratched Dishware Dear Reena, I purchased a new set of dishes, only to find there are scratches left from the cutlery after use. This is the second dinnerware set I have had difficulty with, the dishes have both been ivory in color and a matte finish. Is there some kind of…

  • Making Sense of Election 2015 – Introduction

    Making Sense of Election 2015 – Introduction

    By E.P. Whinters Unless you are an economics or political science geek and this is your chocolate, my guess is that most Albertans are exhausted from election rhetoric and attack ads. I know I am. And yet, we start again to face into an unprecedented lengthy campaign leading to the federal election on October 19th.…

  • Examining Account Fee Structures

      By Kim Inglis Investors pay fees for portfolio management, as they do for any professional service, but many are unaware of the variety of options regarding fee structure.  One of the most popular is the fee-based pricing model. According to PriceMetrix, fee-based structures are the preferred method of investing for higher net worth clients…

  • Solutions & Substitutions by Reena: Reader Shares the Proper Way to Store Cheese

      By Reena Nerbas Stale Cigarette Odors Dear Reena, We recently purchased a 10 year old home, which we love despite the lingering odor of cigarettes from past owners. We have repainted, burned candles, simmered cloves and cinnamon on the stove, etc. but the odor persists. The upstairs floors are wood laminate. The finished basement…

  • Solutions & Substitutions by Reena: Prevent Bread from Falling

    Solutions & Substitutions by Reena: Prevent Bread from Falling

      By Reena Nerbas Falling Bread Dear Reena, I have baked my own whole grain bread by hand (not in a bread machine) for over 35 years. About a year and a half ago the bread took on a new twist; in the oven it would crash (fall in the center). I thought it was…

  • Solutions & Substitutions by Reena: Invasion of Rabbits

    Solutions & Substitutions by Reena: Invasion of Rabbits

      By Reena Nerbas Squeaky Door Hi Reena, Do you have a solution for a bedroom door that squeaks every time we shut it? We used DW-30 on the hinges but that didn’t work. Debbie Dear Reena, Ensure long-lasting silence by tapping the hinge pin out of the hinge and coating the top, bottom and…

  • Solutions & Substitutions by Reena: Lawn Care Tips

      By Reena Nerbas Cookies Hi Reena, My cookies never turn out. I follow the recipe as written but they either brown too fast or they look green and grey. What am I doing wrong? Marne Dear Marne, Experiment by cutting down on the amount of baking soda in your cookie recipes. Baking soda will…

  • Understanding Investor Emotions

      By Kim Inglis Investor emotions are a portfolio’s worst enemy. Fortunately they are also predictable, following a route in sync with market cycles. The peak is the middle of a bull market, when investors are most optimistic. The trough is during a bear market, when investor emotions are correspondingly low. The markets and investor…

  • Solutions & Substitutions by Reena: Homemade Shake and Bake

      By Reena Nerbas Watermarks on Glass Hi Reena, We own a faucet made of glass. After every hand wash a few drops dry off at the bottom of the faucet-surface, where the water runs. Now it has lots of watermarks, I can’t remove. Do you have any suggestion as to how to get this…

  • Solutions & Substitutions by Reena: Dealing with Wasps Safely

      By Reena Nerbas Shopping Cart Cleaner Dear Reena, Do you know of a cleaner that I can make myself and carry in my purse to clean the handle of grocery store shopping carts? Thanks, Marie Dear Marie, An easy solution is to carry baby wipes in your bag to clean cart handles. The following…

  • Solutions & Substitutions by Reena: Potato Chips, Corn on the Cob and Ice Cream

    Solutions & Substitutions by Reena: Potato Chips, Corn on the Cob and Ice Cream

      By Reena Nerbas Pink Anti-Freeze Stain Hi Reena, My sister has a mobile home in the country that she uses only in the summer time. The pink plumbing anti-freeze has left a stain in her toilet. She has tried bleach and Mr. Clean to remove the stain but has not succeeded. Vivian Hi Vivian, To…

  • Dealing with Market Volatility

    By Kim Inglis Although it’s understood that stock markets fluctuate, volatility still makes investors uneasy.  Unfortunately, nervousness about market turbulence can cause them to make short-term decisions with detrimental impacts on long-term portfolio performance. Investors hastily sell but are usually doing so at the worst possible time. Such panic selling in the midst of market…

  • Solutions & Substitutions by Reena: Leather and Lino

      By Reena Nerbas Smelly Leather Sofa Dear Reena, How can we get rid of a strange odor on the seat of our leather sofa? This occurs only when someone is seated on it. Nothing has been spilled that we know of. We wish to give it away, but want to improve it first. Dear…